US airlines
Spirit Airlines baggage: the airline no longer flies
Independent site, not the airline. Fees are charged only by the airline, at booking, check-in or the gate.
Spirit Airlines ceased operations on May 2, 2026. Enter the size of your old Spirit personal item: the checker shows which airlines still flying accept it under the seat.
Will my bag fit? Your bag against 9 airlines
Fits as a personal item (under the seat)
4 of 5 airlines
- American AirlinesFits (18 × 14 × 8 in)
- Delta Air LinesNo published limit
- United Airlines2.0 in too big (17 × 10 × 9 in)
- Southwest AirlinesNo published limit
- Alaska AirlinesNo published limit
- JetBlueFits (17 × 13 × 8 in)
- Frontier AirlinesFits (18 × 14 × 8 in)
- Allegiant AirFits (18 × 14 × 8 in)
- Hawaiian AirlinesNo published limit
Spirit Airlines no longer operates flights. A press release from Houston Airports dated May 2, 2026 states that, effective immediately on that day, Spirit Airlines ordered a wind-down of its operations, and that all Spirit flights have been canceled. There are therefore no Spirit bag fees to pay in 2026. For travelers who bought luggage to Spirit's rules, the last published limits remain useful. On an archived copy of Spirit's Contract of Carriage, updated as of April 30, 2026 and captured on October 8, 2026, the free personal item was 18 × 14 × 8 in (46 × 36 × 20 cm) and the carry-on, sold separately on the Value option, was 22 × 18 × 10 in (56 × 46 × 25 cm), handles and wheels included. An archived copy of Spirit's Bag Info page, captured on May 2, 2026, gave the checked bag as 50 lb (22.7 kg) and 62 linear in (157 cm). A bag built to that personal item size fits under the seat on several airlines still flying, which the checker above shows bag by bag.
Sizes, fees and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we check
What happened on May 2, 2026
The source for this page is a press release from Houston Airports about Bush Airport. It says: "Effective immediately, May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines ordered a wind-down of its operations." It adds that "All Spirit flights have been canceled". This site has no other official statement to report, and it does not comment on what may happen next. Spirit's own websites did not respond when this page was prepared, which is why the bag rules below come from archived copies.
Spirit's last published bag rules
Two archived documents give the final rules. The Contract of Carriage, in its version updated as of April 30, 2026 and captured by the Internet Archive on October 8, 2026, defined the free personal item as no larger than 18 × 14 × 8 in (46 × 36 × 20 cm), handles and wheels included, and the carry-on as no larger than 22 × 18 × 10 in (56 × 46 × 25 cm). The Bag Info support article, captured on May 2, 2026, set the checked bag at a maximum of 62 linear in (157 cm) and 50 lb (22.7 kg), with overweight charges from 51 pounds. On the Value travel option, no carry-on was included but one could be bought; Premium Economy and Spirit First options included one. Bag prices were set per flight at booking, and no fixed fee table was readable on the archived pages, so this site lists none.
The same contract granted service members with valid military ID, and an accompanying spouse or children, one free standard carry-on and two free standard checked bags. These rules are of historical interest only now that the flights are canceled.
Your Spirit-size bag on the airlines still flying
Many travelers own a bag cut exactly to Spirit's personal item size. It remains a good under-seat bag. The table compares it, and the full Spirit carry-on, with the limits each US airline on this site publishes today.
| Airline | Its personal item limit | Spirit personal item under the seat | Full-size Spirit carry-on in the bin |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 18 × 14 × 8 in (46 × 36 × 20 cm) | fits | too big |
| Delta Air Lines | no published size | no published size | too big |
| United Airlines | 17 × 10 × 9 in (43 × 25 × 23 cm) | too big | too big |
| Southwest Airlines | no published size | no published size | too big |
| Alaska Airlines | no published size | no published size | too big |
| JetBlue | 17 × 13 × 8 in (43 × 33 × 20 cm) | too big | too big |
| Frontier Airlines | 18 × 14 × 8 in (46 × 36 × 20 cm) | fits | too big |
| Allegiant Air | 18 × 14 × 8 in (46 × 36 × 20 cm) | fits | too big |
| Hawaiian Airlines | no published size | no published size | too big |
The Spirit personal item matches the published limit of American, Frontier and Allegiant exactly. Delta, Southwest, Alaska and Hawaiian publish no personal item size, only that it must fit under the seat, so the table cannot give a verdict for them. The full Spirit carry-on is a different story: its 18 inch width exceeds the 14 inches of the network airlines and even the 16 inches of Southwest, Frontier and Allegiant. On the limits published today, it is a checked bag everywhere, or a bag to retire from cabin use.
What to check on your next booking
Read the bag rules of the airline you now fly, since the free allowance varies far more than the sizes. On the low-cost carriers, only the personal item is free; on the network airlines, a carry-on is included on most fares. Measure the old Spirit bags with wheels and handles, enter them in the checker, and pick the airline pages linked above for current fees.